THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN FROM ANY COUNTRY TO WIN AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL

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Alice Coachman, born in Georgia in 1932, quickly became an accomplished softball/baseball player and runner — despite many people telling her sports were unladylike and discouraging her from competing. After transferring to Tuskegee Institute during her sophomore year of high school, Coachman went on to win four national championships for sprinting and high jump. 

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In 1948, Coachman competed in the London Olympics. She destroyed the world record for high jump, winning the gold medal after clearing a 5 feet 6 1/8-inch bar. King George VI bestowed Alice Coachman’s gold medal on her neck, making history for Black female athletes worldwide.

THE BEST TENNIS PLAYER EVER

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Serena Williams and her sister Venus started tennis training in Compton, California, when Serena was just three years old. Serena made her professional debut at 14 but only played one match before returning to the professional circuit at 16. Williams quickly rose to a #20 world ranking and became the fastest player with five victories against top-ten-ranked players.

Serena won her first of many Grand Slams in 1999, shortly after signing a groundbreaking $12 million endorsement deal with Puma. 

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Since then, Serena has earned 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals with Venus. She has also won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — more than any other tennis player in the open era. Her brilliance on the court matches her off-court ventures, including philanthropic work, venture capital investing with Serena Ventures, the S by Serena fashion line, and much more.

THE FASTEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD

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Wilma Rudolph survived bouts with polio and scarlet fever as a child, leaving her with a leg brace and a doctor’s suggestion that she may never walk normally again. Rudolph was determined to prove the doctors wrong even at a young age. By the time she was in high school, Rudolph earned All-American honors in basketball and began running on a collegiate track team. She brought a bronze medal home from the 1956 Olympics — a result she was determined to beat at the next Olympic games. 

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In the 1960 Olympics, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold track and field medals at one Olympics. Spectators dubbed her “The Fastest Woman Alive” as she broke at least three world records en route to the podium.

THE FIRST WOMAN TO DUNK IN THE WNBA

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Although Lisa Leslie was already over six feet tall by age twelve, she had yet to pick up a basketball. A friend asked her to join the basketball team, and soon, Leslie had over 100 letters of interest from college scouts before she even entered high school. At 16, Leslie played for the U.S. Junior National team, scoring 101 points in the first half alone. She racked up accolades during her collegiate career at the University of Southern California before heading overseas to play professionally. 

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The WNBA’s inaugural season started in 1997 - and Leslie took the league by storm. She won two championships over her twelve-year career, seven All-Star honors (with three All-Star game MVPs), two DPOY awards, and three league MVPs. Leslie changed the game forever when she threw down a dunk in a WNBA game in 2002 — the first in the league. Since retiring, Leslie has coached, commentated, starred in the 2018 movie Uncle Drew, and become a part-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks.

GROUNDBREAKING GOALKEEPER AND ACTIVIST

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Briana Scurry was one of the first African-American professional soccer players and one of the first openly LGBTQIA+ professional players. Scurry’s iconic 1999 FIFA World Cup performance helped the U.S. secure one of the most significant wins in women’s sports history. Scurry racked up 173 international caps and was the Atlanta Beat (WUSA) captain from 2001 until she retired due to injury in 2010. After experiencing debilitating concussions, Scurry began advocating for concussion awareness in Congress. 

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Since retiring, Briana Scurry has been honored with a spot on the U.S. Soccer All-Time Best IX National Team, inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and has a permanent feature in the National Museum of African American History & Culture’s Title IX exhibit.

FIRST BLACK TENNIS PLAYER INVITED TO WIMBLEDON AND THE FIRST BLACK LPGA PLAYER

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Althea Gibson was a talented athlete even in her youth. She began playing for the American Tennis Association (ATA), the oldest African-American sports organization in the United States, where she won two junior championships. In 1947, Gibson won the first of her ten-straight ATA titles. Gibson began to play in more venues and against more formidable opponents. In 1951, Gibson became the first African-American to ever play at Wimbledon. Although she lost that match, she was just getting started. 

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Gibson won the French Championships, five major doubles titles with partner Angela Buxton, and finally, a Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championship in 1957. By 1958, Gibson had collected 58 singles and doubles championships. There wasn’t much prize money in women’s tennis at the time, so Gibson retired and switched to golf. She blazed a new trail and became the first Black player to compete in the LPGA.

MOST DECORATED GYMNAST IN HISTORY

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Simone Biles fell in love with gymnastics after trying the sport for the first time when she was six. Biles qualified for a competition slot at the 2012 USA Gymnastics National Championships. The following year, Biles was crowned the national all-around champion after winning silver in all four individual events — the first Black woman ever to win the award. 

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Simone Biles is now the most decorated gymnast in history, with 19 gold medals from the World Championships (25 medals total), four Olympic gold medals, and three other Olympic medals. She’s been named Sportswoman of the Year and AP Athlete of the Year (twice) and has been on nearly every list of powerful sportspeople, like Forbes 30 Under 30 and TIME Most Influential. While Biles has certainly broken barriers for Black gymnasts in competition, she’s also tearing down walls outside of the gym. Biles has been outspoken about self-care, mental health, and sport-related anxiety.

FIRST BLACK FEMALE SWIMMER TO WIN AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL

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Simone Manuel was a talented athlete from a young age. Her passion for swimming began at four years old, when she swam the length of the entire pool. At 15, she competed in the U.S. Olympic trials, qualified for the junior Pan Pacific team, and subsequently won gold medals in 100m, 4x100 freestyle relay, 4x200 freestyle relay, and the 4x100 medley relay. Manuel racked up both team and individual records and accolades over the next few years, but none more historic than her performance at the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Manuel won gold in the 100m freestyle, becoming the first Black female swimmer to do so in Olympic history. Manuel continued her dominant run for the next two years, racking up nine total gold medals at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. 

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Manuel doesn’t just break barriers herself; she also opens doors for others. Manuel was the first athlete to require an inclusion rider when she signed her first endorsement deal with swimwear company TYR Sport, Inc. She also established the Simone Manuel Foundation to create positive swim readiness and safety resources for people of color.

FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO BE THE AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE'S PRINCIPAL DANCER

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Misty Copeland’s journey to starring in the American Ballet Theatre is anything but ordinary. While most ballet dancers begin their journey at an early age, Copeland didn’t get into ballet until she was thirteen years old. It didn’t matter, though, as she was a prodigy and transitioned into dancing professionally after just one year of training. In 2015, Copeland made history by being promoted to principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre — the first African American woman to earn the promotion in the company’s 75-year history. 

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Copeland has since served on the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition under President Obama. She has authored two books: a children’s book called Firebird and an autobiography titled Life in Motion. Copeland also recently produced a documentary, Lift, which focuses on empowering young homeless/home-insecure ballet dancers in New York.

THE MOST FAMOUS VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF HER TIME

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Six foot-five Flo Hyman discovered volleyball when she was a student at Inglewood High School in California, and it wasn’t long before she fell in love with the game. Hyman went on to play at the University of Houston, piling up three All-American designations while there. She then got the call to train with the USVBA squad and earned the All-American title three more times. In 1977, Hyman was crowned MVP of the team. 

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Hyman’s illustrious career continued and in 1984, she captained the Olympic volleyball squad to a silver medal in Los Angeles. Hyman was named one of the All-Time Great Volleyball Players the following year. Her success was unfortunately cut short when she collapsed on the court during a Japanese league match and suddenly passed away from Marfan syndrome. Hyman was enshrined shortly after that in the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1988.